Hakim Ziyech, a Moroccan winger, had agreed to join Botafogo but has now changed his mind. He had already purchased his flight tickets and even recorded a presentation video with the Botafogo jersey. However, a phone call from his friend Labyad, who plays for Corinthians, made him reconsider. Labyad had suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (LCA) and a meniscus injury in his left knee in late July and had criticised the quality of Brazilian pitches during the call. Despite this, Danilo Pereira, who played with Ziyech at Ajax, and Alex Telles have since contacted the Moroccan winger to praise the Brazilian pitches.